Moves Like Wookie

Since their debut days, Super Junior has become a staple of Korean entertainment. And since their debut days, the individual members have managed to march up to the front line and cement themselves as figures of Korea and it’s popular culture. From Leeteuk to Kyuhyun, several members of this top idol group have not only created a brand for Super Junior, but also for themselves. But there is a member that has yet to burst from his comfortable cocoon and transform into a beautiful butterfly.

In a group as big as Super Junior, it’s easy to get a lost. And more often than not, there is probably a reason, valid or otherwise. Some people may think Sungmin is just as talented as Kyuhyun; some people may think Shindong is just as funny as Heechul. In either case, Kyuhyun and Heechul have something that Sungmin and Shindong just don’t have. It’s not necessarily physicality, ability, or personality—it’s that classic and yet mysterious je ne sais quoi that makes some members more popular than other members. While I might not always agree with this force, I understand that it exists and while companies can pimp an idol out so that they receive more popularity than they have, chances are, unless the Fates have already decided it for you, Idol Y will never be as popular as Idol X. And this logic certainly hasn’t spared Ryeowook, who is easily Super Junior’s most underrated member.

Again, I get it. He’s not amazingly tall, amazingly built, or, with the exception of his razor blade cheekbones, amazingly faced. He’s amazingly quiet, amazingly reserved, and yes, amazingly bland. To summarize, he’s boring and he’s awkward but he DOES have a phenomenal voice that puts other idols to shame. And while I had my apprehensions about this guy when he first debuted, I developed this little inkling that there was more to this guy than meets the eye.

But then SB’s very own Amy showed me the light:

Everyone who has ever thought little to nothing about this little guy should repent for their sins now. There is obviously a lot more to Kim Ryeowook than meets the eye. He starts off by sitting on the couch (like a boss) with the bass pumping through the entire stadium. Then he gets up and starts going at it. Surprise, surprise: his singing is flawless, but here’s a kudos: his pronunciation is pretty much perfect. His dancing is admittedly, a little awkward, but at least he’s trying. And as the performance carries on, we all realize he’s not just trying. He is grabbing women and parading his body. Essentially, he’s kicking ass and taking names.

Ryeowook is not a case of a company being unable to market its talent. He may not be the most popular member of the group, and that may very well be exactly how he likes it. He is first and foremost, a singer. And so, while he may not be a dancer like Eunhyuk, eye candy like Siwon, or an entertainer like Heechul, he goes out onto stage and sings. That is his modus operandi. While that may be the very reason why he’s not a fan favorite — because he’s not part of all the attention grabbing, affection swooning activities — he sings. And I don’t think he would want it any other way.

And as FANFREAKINGTASTIC as his “Moves Like Jagger” cover is, something tells me he didn’t wake up one morning, waddle up to Papa SM, and say, “Can I blossom into a sex god?” If we were to have left it up to Ryeowook, it probably wouldn’t have happened at all. And while that is perfectly understandable and respectable, pushing idols out of their comfort zones will only help them grow. Whether you’re used to being the center of attention or you’re used to being a wallflower, trying new things will give you the opportunity to discover and harvest different sides of yourself. This is something that holds true for all walks of life. So to see Ryeowook step out and tackle a song, dance, and performance like “Moves Like Jagger” shows us that Ryeowook is not only capable of doing x, he’s capable of doing y, z—heck, the entire alphabet.

It may have been more than a couple of years since Super Junior’s debut, but it’s better late than never. You’re blossoming, Wookie. And after something like that, there’s no point of return. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. You’re growing, transforming, and evolving and “Moves Like Jagger” is just the first step in a series. I don’t know how everyone else feels but you can be confident that at least I’m watching.

That performance was fan-tasteful! (yes, i do realise I just made a really lame pun). But lame jokes aside, WOW, goodbye to the old discreet Ryeo Wook. Guess Papa SM just realised how big the man’s potential is.
(When I saw the article, I was convinced Ree was the author… guess Wookie is liked at seoulbeats! :D)

I’m watching as well. I’m very impressed with Ryeowook. It is true that he started out awkward but I’m glad to see that he is now very comfortable not only on stage but in his position in such a big group as SJ. He’s definitely talented. I’ve always loved his ballads and there are days that I have One Spring Day on repeat. With songs like Moves Like Jagger for his solo stage, I’m happy to see that he performs it not just comfortably but really well. SM definitely has a gem in this little guy.

I’ve always like Ryeowook, but nobody else saw what I saw in him. I might not have seen his sex god-ness before, but there was something quaint and charming about his smile. After watching his performance of Moves Like Jagger, I an even more endeared to Wookie :) plus did you see those abs? DAYUM BOY.

kc

have you seen his performance of insomnia? I think that’s when I first noticed that he was just a singer^^

but yeah, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the guy and I kinda squealed a bit when I watched this… he’s in no way a dancer but man, he held his own^^

VeryCuticle

OMG GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok i will say he is def. the super junior member that i COMPLETELY forget about. like omg im like in shock did he just touch a girl and did i just see abs????

he took the song made it his own, was kickin ass and takin names like no otha. the english was perfect the performance was perfect and im shocked and speechless what took him so damn long???? super junior’s days are numbered and possibly they are all going to be let in the dust except 1 or 2 member and i gotta say when this is all said and done i dont think SM is going to keep him which is sad.

….off topic but why do people say siwon is eyecandy???? i dont see it. i don’t find him attractive at all…. but ne who going to replay the vid ^^

Anonymous

As a big Ryeowook fan, I approve this article. :D
His performance was so awesome. I’m glad he surprised everyone…I hope his popularity continues to rise.
And lol I’m also proud he’s one of the few scandal-free suju members. He’s always so positive in his tweets. I love his innocence. :’)

Xiaoyintina

His insomnia performance for ss2 was good too. I think sungmin is the most underrated sj member. Ryeowook has it pretty good actually cuz his hyungs like him and he’s in m and kry!

JesStal

Omg Seoulbeats if it weren’t for you, I would have not just noticed him at all! Watching this performance has totally changed my opinion of him. I’m impressed!

How can no one notice Wookie? He’s in SuJu M and KRY and rocks the stage. Also does no one remember the SuJu PinUp movie? He was epic

guest

Ryeowook was always my Favourite Member. I was dying at that performance. I knew he had it in him but it still impressed me!

maldita

I love how Ryeowook’s not afraid to change things up, just like his other groupmates like Heechul and his Lady Hee Hee act or his J-rock-reminiscent performances. Kyuhyun and Yesung’s solos for Super Shows are always ballads, while Ryeowook did Craig David’s “Insomnia” for SS2 and now “Moves Like Jagger” for SS4.

I’ve always had the feeling that Ryeowook is not as popular as he is because he likes it that way. Like, for him, he’s contented with just singing and performing as part of a group. He knows his role as a singer and does it so well. No more, no less.

Anonymous

Yea, he is an underrated member of Super Junior (after Henry, of course; and Zhoumi).

I remember how when I discovered SuJu through their movie that Wookie was so spectacular at acting, he stole the limelight with his hilarious character!
I really thought I would see more of him as I decided to follow SuJu from then on (hey, I could have stop and quit within the first five minutes after wiki-ing SuJu when I learned there were 13 members).
Sadly, I have been constantly upset and disappointed (at SM, not the poor boy) over him barely even making an appearance that stand outs from all his hyungs and the maknae of the group. I’ve accepted to only closing my eyes and hearing his voice sings the songs (and his own compositions) SM put out there.

Ryeowook’s Jawline

I’ve always been reading SB articles about Super Junior and I love the fact that you guys always mention Ryeowook as being the most underrated member as well as the member that would make it big out there if he comes out of his shy shell. And Subi, the fact that you hated him before and now you’re even writing an article about him make me a bit happy. lol.

I hate the fact that he’s multi-talented but only a few acknowledges it. Well, it’s not really too late. I think SM is still going to milk this guys until all of them goes to the army. In two or three years, Ryeowook will probably have projects that would make him big or popular starting now Sukira. I just hope that when he will have these projects, he’ll be confident and excel in it.

If this whole “most underrated member” thing continues, the statement may begin to prove false :D Though it seems Ryeowook is pretty comfortable out of the spotlight for the most part…. with his voice and appearance, he stood out to me right from the beginning.

Anonymous

the site is really SJ biased haha.

Anonymous

lol…not at all

Anonymous

Hahaha, I like Suju m and but don’t care for Suju (the main unit) and I’ll tell you…this site doesn’t seem Suju biased at all….I’ve actually see the opposite in almost every other comment post. A lot of Suju fans on here, feel like this site picks on Suju more than anything….I beg to differ but you can’t please everyone. =)

Anonymous

*jawdrops*

Okay, I admit that while he’s my favorite voice in SJ, this is the first time I saw that fancam and OH MY, Wookie.

Did I see abs? Did I really see he’s touching women? Did I really see he’s going around the stage and moving his body like nobody’s business? What happened to the sweet voice Wookie? (not that I am complaining lol)

I had the exact same reaction. I did NOT expect this… at all! But I’d be a damn liar if I said I wasn’t pleasantly surprised, lol.

Duhuhu

”
Some people may think Sungmin is just as talented as Kyuhyun;”

…but… no one thinks that? I think the better comparison would be Sungmin and Donghae….

Ryeowook is my favourite member of SJ, and seeing everyone recognise his talent makes me feel all tingly inside. Honestly, there’s so much to this boy, so much about him I’m waiting for people to see. One of the things I love about him is how diverse he tries to be with his perofrmances — something which Kyu and Yesung have yet to try. This isn’t the first time he’s tried something outside of his ‘comfort’ zone. I recommend everyone watch his Super Show 2 solo Insomnia, as well as his KRY solo ‘Blame It On the Girls’. He’s always trying out new things, he wants to audience to have fun, and I love that about him. He also has an amazing personality as well ;_;

I just hate that he’ll never have a voice like Kyuhyun’s, or even Yesung’s, so people tend to shaft him and not pay attention to him because they hate his voice. I just wish people could look past that and see all the passion there is in him.

Anonymous

He may not have a voice like Kyuhyun’s or Yesung’s but I love his voice! He’s not in KRY for no reason.

He was never really a member that stood out to me except for being very quiet, reserved, and kind of awkward in a dorky way but his I completely loved his solo on the Bonamana album. His voice is precious!

I also liked his cover of Insomnia so this is not that big of a surprise.

Alex

“I just hate that he’ll never have a voice like Kyuhyun’s, or even Yesung’s”

…..um. just like how kyuhyun will never have a range as high as ryeowook’s, or how yesung will never be able to sing a pretty soft, delicate ballad like ryeowook can?

all three of their voices are different, I don’t think they should be compared in terms of who’s better than the other. there’s a reason why each of them were specially picked to be in kry, because they each bring something different to the group.

i’m not even a ryeowook fangirl (;
if anything, I see a growing similarity in kyuhyun and ryeowook’s adlib styles. they’re clearly learning from each other

That said, I still think that there is something a little odd with his features!

I still think he is hot though!

Anonymous

LOL He was the only name I knew for the longest time..

Guest

I agree that he was awesome in that terrible Super Junior movie, I also feel like while SJ-M were in Taiwan, Ryeowook really came out of his shell. Along with Kyuhyun, I found him really hilarious and surprisingly outgoing on Taiwanese variety shows. Maybe he’s just been overshadowed by the loud, in your face members when the group is all together.

Guest

Considering I mistook Ryeowook for Siwon when I first got into Super Junior, I was always drawn to him. lol and as mentioned in this very well written piece, if he didn’t have “it” to begin with he sure has it now. Moves Like Jagger is just another way that proved what Ryeowook is capable of, and all in all he’s just as amazing if not more than the rest of the group members. I gotta say though, like anyone else, my jaw basically dropped when I saw this video. Haha i love and always will love Ryeowook <3

Guest

Considering I mistook Ryeowook for Siwon when I first got into Super Junior, I was always drawn to him. lol and as mentioned in this very well written piece, if he didn’t have “it” to begin with he sure has it now. Moves Like Jagger is just another way that proved what Ryeowook is capable of, and all in all he’s just as amazing if not more than the rest of the group members. I gotta say though, like anyone else, my jaw basically dropped when I saw this video. Haha i love and always will love Ryeowook <3

SuperFan

Considering I mistook Ryeowook for Siwon when I first got into Super Junior, I was always drawn to him. lol and as mentioned in this very well written piece, if he didn’t have “it” to begin with he sure has it now. Moves Like Jagger is just another way that proved what Ryeowook is capable of, and all in all he’s just as amazing if not more than the rest of the group members. I gotta say though, like anyone else, my jaw basically dropped when I saw this video. Haha i love and always will love Ryeowook <3

Livvyurlife

As someone who doesn’t really follow Super Junior, I have to say the first time I saw them in “Mr.Simple” Ryeowook was the most appealing to me. Something about his reddish hair and the way his orange jacket was resting on his shoulders – aha, it was just seducing. So I zipped right up to my friend who’s been into Kpop two years before me and I demanded his name :P He has amazing vocals, it’s sad that he’s so underrated but at least he’s not totally overrated. I appreciate his quiet charm :)

Guest

I’ve always thought Ryeowook definitely got the shitty end of the stick with SMent. He was debuted with only a few months of training as a last minute replacement with a 12 member idol group that was going to be disbanded in 3 months. What exactly did they think he would gain from that? Unlike the rest, I’m pretty sure he never got any variety training, probably barely had time to practice more dancing than the choreography for their debut track. Maybe he would have continued with Super Junior ’06, but still. Shitty deal.

So is it any wonder then that he got shoved into the shadows and took years, that he didn’t have as a trainee, to start opening up? At the same time, this isn’t completely out of left field. He was always a good performer. Every performance, and he never misses any of them, he always gives it his all. He’s a fierce little thing on stage. Never misses a note, never messes up the choreography. (Although once he lost his shoe and looked like he was about to cry.) Plus he’s a sweetheart and takes care of the members to the point that his parents had to tell him to knock it out, that he wasn’t their maid.

So yeah, this is turning into a praise post. But definitely Ryeowook deserves everything good in life. I’m glad he got to perform in a musical, because that is something he wanted to do. I really hope the rumors about a KRY album are true, because that was his wish as well. As the older members start taking their bow and enlisting the younger ones will have more opportunities. Ryeowook still has years until it’s his time. If he just finds the proper outlet for his talent anything is possible.

P.S. On another note though, to all that are saying that Ryeowook is better than Kyuhyun and Yesung just based on him singing dance songs while the others sing ballads. Have you considered that maybe they are just singing the type of music they like. Ryeowook has named Mika as one of his favorites, so is it any wonder he covered Blame it on the Girls in a concert? Kyuhyun has named Sung Si Kyung, A-mei and Stevie Wonder as his faves so that’s what he does when he has the opportunity to sing what he pleases. I think it’s safe to say that Kyuhyun and Yesung are capable of singing dance music as well. They are members of Super Junior after all, it’s what they do for a living.

Johnny

He doesnt seem as douchy as the other members in his group. He’s okay by me lol

Guest

What are you talking about? He doesn’t seem douchy at all.

yesbabyohyea

i love him actually. second bias after kyuhyun. and his beau live voice only makes me fall for him more. he’s very underrated yet very lovable, i found. i wish to see him singing ost for drama just like his mates in KRY did.

Anonymous

it’s always his voice i heard during “U”/”don’t don’t”/”sorry sorry”/”bonamana” chorus in live performances. is there any performance of SJ songs without him? i’m pretty sure there isn’t. link me that performance if you have encountered such performances.

nie

I actually noticed Ryeowook immediately the first time I saw a SuJu music video because I found him somewhat attractive and thought that he had an aristocratic look, hehe. Then I saw a photo of him that showed his very beautiful jawline and he immediately became my 2nd SuJu bias (appearance-wise) next to Heechul, hehe. But I never really bothered with his singing. I only saw a few of their MVs and since I’m not that familiar with SuJu in general, I thought only KyuHyun and Yesung were the main vocalists. Until I saw a video clip of him singing a single line from Infinite’s Be Mine! That’s when I started to search and listen to his singing parts and solo performances and eventually fell in love not just with his looks but with his beautiful voice as well.. and now he’s officially one of my favorite Kpop artists! I hope to see/hear more solo perfs from him! :D

it’s because he grew older… that’s how he blossoms :) older and more confident… thou u may think he’s quiet and all…actually he’s the most mischievous off camera… and he seemed to be more relaxed and opened when promoting in SJM…

Anonymous

I follow up on SUJU M but I don’t really look out for the main SUJU group, but I will admit that Ryeowook has always been my favorite of both groups. I love his voice, it sounds so unique.

Anonymous

ryeowook caught my attention immediately when i first ever saw him. i’m just happy to see he’s just as lovable as he was back then many years ago :)

Roselle

I was so surprised when I watched that performance. I really didn’t know he had it in him. He’s not my favorite, but I think I’d like to see what else he can do.

Sandra

WOW RYEWOOK REALLY DID IMPRESS ME. I ALWAYS SAW HIM JUST AS A GREAT SINGER BUT NOW I THINK HE IS ALSO A GREAT PERFORMER AND ENTERTAINER!! FIGHTING RYEWOOK!!! (^O^)

chachii

>w< He's always been my favorite ever since I saw Super Junior for the very first time… xDD

anonymous

O: dangg. wasn’t that girl a back-up dancer for their oops performance in sketchbook??

I felt it was a little unfair how my heart always skipped a beat while thinking of Wookie and now after the MLJ performance everyone noticed hes hot… Hello?! he always looked hot…! this showed how underrated my Wookie is… i remember he was the 1st voice i recognized in SJ and since then he’s my bias :33 ive always thought even tho hes quiet he was naughty naughty xD and im happy it showed but playing the innocent card make girls -like me- go crazy.. so i think it works for him lololol

he’s just perfect for me in every single thing that he do and
He has the ability to learn everything and do it right.

he can not dance like Hyukjae, but he dances better thanheenim, Siwon, Yesung …
it the various talents such as playing instruments,composing music and has the ability to cook like a chef.
I saw a progam where he had a contest to see which pair ofSJ-M cooked better and obvious that the Wookiee gaintriggers …
he has his way of being who he is,
and for me is perfection = Wookiee

I started noticing this guy on Super junior M. He actually talkes and is more outgoing when he is in suju M because probably less members to steal the spotlight? I want him to put himself out there more because to me, he seems quite interesting.

When I first got into Super Junior, Ryeowook was the first person to catch my eye. Then it was Yesung, then Sungmin.

This is just my opinion, but I actually thing Yesung is more underrated. Maybe it’s just me though.

But yeah, Wookie is amazing~ :D <3

Ranie Mei

I used to hate SJ, but when my friend showed their pictures, Ryeowook was the first person that caught my attention, thought he’s the most handsome member of all. Then, slowly, I found his amazing unbelievably-high range-and-delicate voice. He’s the voice of SJ.

Like leader Leeteuk ever said, there won’t be SJ album with Kim Ryeowook. That prove his important role to make SJ exist.

Nowadays, I’m become a SJ fan and Ryeowook still my bias, he’s still amazingly gorgeous and undoubtedly a super talented singer with a beautiful-high range-angelic voice.

P.S: Ryeoowk not only an eternal magnae in SJ, but also an evil magnae since the beginning. You could see it from their early reality show. Once, showed how he bullied the leader.